MONTREAL - We Montrealers are a nostalgic bunch. Gather a few generations of us around a table, and conversations eventually turn to such topics as Expo 67, the 1976 Olympics, the referendums, the ice storm of 1998 and the last time the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup – talk about your distant memories!

Food also plays a huge part of such discussions, and when the Montreal memories start to flow, there’s always someone who pipes in with a story of an epic dinner at Les Halles, a ladies’ lunch at the Ritz Garden or a bowl of french fries enjoyed post-clubbing at 3 a.m. at Lux. Run into an ex-Montrealer anywhere in the world, and odds are good they will say, “I don’t miss the winters or the politics, but, boy, do I crave a good smoked meat.” Every time I visit my sister in Paris, she begs me to schlep over two dozen bagels.

As food is such a strong part of the Montreal identity, I started to think about which foods or dishes hold a place of honour in the city’s collective consciousness. Poutine springs to mind, yet poutine is not a Montreal-centric dish. Same goes for tourtière. But bagels are specific to Montreal, as is our famous smoked meat and plenty of other dishes that any Montrealer past or present will recognize.

I easily thought up a top 12. There were others that I feared were more central to my experience than that of a larger chunk of the population. For instance, pizza came to mind – especially Tasty Food pizza, which served its first pie in 1957 and often made an appearance on our family dinner table. The restaurant is still in operation, and the pizza still tastes pretty much the same. But when I asked around, not enough people were familiar with this pizza, which stands out from the pack because it has the cheese on the bottom and the fixings on top. And then there are other classic Montreal pizza parlours, like Pizzeria Napolitana and Pendelli’s and so on. But I was looking for specific food or dishes that have become part of the Montreal identity. All taken, there’s no pizza in Montreal that has made us a city renowned for its pizza.

What we are, though, is a city shaped by an immigrant population. Looking at the foods on my list, it’s interesting to note how many have Eastern European – or specifically Jewish – roots.

And though many were created in the early to mid-1900s, there’s always room for a new iconic dish.

In 2001, Martin Picard opened Au Pied de Cochon and wowed Montrealers with a half-dozen signature dishes like duck in a can, foie gras hamburger and the foie gras-stuffed pig’s foot. But it was his foie gras poutine that caught everyone’s attention and started a North American craze for poutine in high-end restaurants instead of the usual snack bars and ski chalets.

An iconic dish can be such a trendsetter, but it can also be one that has stood the test of time, that has held its own on Montreal menus and in Montrealers’ affections despite changing tastes and food fads. Chances are that many dyed-in-the-wool (dare I say pure laine?) Montrealers have tasted most every item on this list. If not, I urge you to do so. Feasting on these iconic dishes again, I felt a renewed love for my city and the great people who work to keep these foods on our plates, grasped between our fingers, or slowly sliding up through a straw. It’s not always the fanciest fare, but like the city itself, it’s unpretentious, original, rich in history and utterly delicious.

1. The real deal: The Mile End bagel

Is there any food that says “Montreal” more than the bagel? Since 1957, St. Viateur Bagel’s 24-hour operation has been churning out 12,000 hand-rolled bagels daily. Founder Myer Lewkowicz brought his famous recipe – which requires hand-rolling, blanching in honey water, then baking in a wood-burning oven – over from Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, one block over, Fairmount Bagel founder Isadore Shlafman was baking bagels at the Original Fairmount Bagel Factory – also hand-rolled, also blanched and also wood-baked – in the location (also open around the clock) we all know and love since 1949. Blindfolded, I couldn’t tell you the difference – I adore both, and frankly, I buy my bagels at whichever shop has a parking spot in front. Each has its fans, each has a lineup out the door, and each makes bagels so delicious that New Yorkers should be ashamed to call their buns with holes in the middle “bagels.”

2. The breakfast must: The Beautys Special

I was tempted to put the Mish-Mash omelette in this category, and no doubt it’s another iconic dish from this Montreal landmark, which has been serving breakfast and lunch since 1942. But the Special, that incomparable sandwich made with lox, cream cheese and sliced tomatoes and onion, says “Montreal” to me as much as Mount Royal. “The Special and the Mish-Mash are our signature items,” says Larry Sckol­nick, who owns the restaurant with his father, Hymie. “But the Special is our Big Mac.” Often ordered to share, the Special is usually enjoyed on top of regular breakfast dishes. Sold for 65 cents in 1942, it now sells for $10. “People try to recreate it at home all the time, but come back telling us it just doesn’t taste the same,” says Larry Sckolnick. When asked who made it best, he doesn’t miss a beat: “My mom (the late Freda Sckol­nick),” he says. “She had the touch.”

3. The ultimate: Schwartz’s smoked meat

If you’re a Montrealer, chances are you grew up eating smoked meat. There are countless restaurants in the city where you can get a good smoked meat sandwich, but the one that has been the subject of documentaries, inspired musicals and written about in books is Schwartz’s. Founded in 1928 by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania, Schwartz’s is nothing more than a long and narrow, white-tiled room packed with communal tables where everyone sits elbow to elbow noshing feverishly on smoked meat sandwiches (medium-fat being the most desirable), fries, Cherry Coke and maybe some pickles or a rib steak. The preservative-free smoked meat is made from briskets marinated with herbs and spices for 10 days and then smoked. But the real beauty here lies in the hand-slicing of the hot brisket, resulting in slices of smoked meat that retain their shape and juiciness. It’s not just smoked meat – it’s a work of art between two slices of rye with a smear of yellow mustard, perfected over 80 years. But don’t take my word for it: Those lineups out the door, from noon to the wee hours, say it all.

4. The don’t-mess-with-tradition: Wilensky’s Special

There’s an egg sandwich and a hot dog available, as well as a wide array of sodas made the old-fashioned way with syrup and seltzer. But the big draw at Wilensky’s is the Special. Also known to old-timers and second-generation Wilensky customers as the Moe (named for Wilensky’s late owner), the Special is a grilled sandwich featuring an English muffin-type egg bread filled with slices of salami and bologna spread with mustard, with the option of a slice of Swiss cheese or a Kraft Single inside. This sandwich comes with rules, though – the rules being that you don’t ask for it without mustard and you never ask that it be sliced in half. Opened in 1932 by Harry Wilensky as a barber shop, which later became a cigar store and eventually a book store, variety store and lunch counter, Wilensky’s is famous for mentions in Mordecai Richler’s novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. And yet the draw to this light-lunch counter is the setting, which hasn’t changed a speck since moving to its current location in 1952. Ruth Wilensky, at an impressive 91, still works behind the counter with her children, Asher and Sharon. Tourists from as far away as Japan head to Wilensky’s for the Special. Here’s hoping they don’t ask for it to be cut in half.

5. The weird-but-wonderful: Gibeau Orange Julep

There are two Big Os in Montreal: the Olympic Stadium and the big Orange Julep on the Décarie Expressway. Built in 1945 by a man with a vision (and an obvious sense of fun), Hermas Gibeau, the three-storey, orange-shaped structure once featured roller-skating waitresses, fast food and a drink that tasted a lot like a melted Creamsicle. Today you’ll find a dizzying array of options (I stick to the yummy toasted hot dogs), but the main draw remains that sweet and viscous Orange Julep. Though the recipe is a well-guarded secret, its base is made with freshly squeezed Sunkist oranges, offering a well-publicized hit of vitamin C. As for what makes it so frothy and creamy, rumour has it that egg whites and milk are part of the formula. Though sweet enough to induce a major sugar rush, this milkshake-like beverage is best appreciated on a hot day. And though not exactly thirst-quenching, it does make for an interesting replacement for dessert.

6. The old-school-made-new: Moishes marinated salmon

Founded by Moishe Lighter in 1938, Moishes is Montreal’s oldest continuously operating fine-dining restaurant from the same family in the same location. The menu still counts several items from the opening days, such as the classic verenikas (a.k.a. pierogies), chopped liver, pickles and coleslaw. But if you’re looking for a dish unique to the restaurant, there are two: a side dish of marinated peppers and the beloved marinated salmon. Romanian in origin, the latter recipe calls for squares of Atlantic salmon filet that are poached and then marinated in a chili sauce. The dish is then topped with marinated onions and – get this – served cold. Though formerly presented simply on a plate, this appetizer has now been given a more modern, stacked presentation. So popular is this Moishes classic that it’s not unusual for the kitchen to serve about 30 orders a night.

7. The enigma: Laurier Gordon Ramsay mocha cake

Dense, big and not all that flavourful, this mocha cake may be famous, but it’s hardly swoon-worthy. Nostalgia can be the only explanation why this clunky pastry was one of Laurier BBQ’s bestsellers for more than 50 years before U.K. chef Gordon Ramsay took over the Laurier Ave. restaurant and rechristened it this summer. On top of that, customers have always requested it be served warm, with a 20-second jolt in the microwave. Ugh! Before the original restaurant closed in April, there was such a demand for the mocha that people went hysterical when they heard the restaurant ran out of the cake. To avoid an uprising, Ramsay made a concession and kept the mocha along with the other classic desserts. “That cake is caught in a time warp,” he said, after laughing. “There are two things that surprise me in the food world: the fact that McDonald’s ever got into France and that mocha cake. There’s a give or take, so we’ll continue to make that mocha cake, but I won’t let anyone put it in the microwave. A mocha cake in the microwave? C’mon!” Hot mocha cake fans, fear not: I’m told that secretly, if you ask nicely, they’ll still zap it.

8. The revolutionary idea: Au Pied de Cochon’s foie gras poutine

In 2001, this decadent dish became the symbol of chef Martin Picard’s groundbreaking highbrow-meets-lowbrow style. Rich as all get-out with a bed of french fries, a cream sauce laced with foie gras and egg yolks, and a final topping of cheese curds and seared nuggets of foie gras, Picard’s poutine took this trashy fave from the roadside snack bar to the fine-dining scene. Though a few chefs had been toying with the idea of upscale poutine, it was Picard’s dish that made its mark and influenced chefs like Toronto’s Jamie Kennedy and Vancouver’s Rob Feenie to feature poutine on upscale menus. If you haven’t tried it yet, book a seat at the bar and don’t plan on eating much else. Chances are the diners oohing, ahhing and stuffing their faces with foie gras poutine next to you will be chefs, bloggers or food writers.

9. The he-man special: Magnan’s roast beef

We ladies had no idea what was going on at Magnan, the Lachine Canal-side tavern popular with politicians, off-duty RCMP members (and, I’m told, Gazette photographers) until women were finally admitted on the premises in 1989. Now I know: beer, hockey games and especially roast beef, served in thick slabs or in hot sandwiches, or even with nachos. Celebrating its 80th anniversary next year, Magnan serves prime rib to 60 per cent of the 600 to 700 customers who frequent the tavern daily since it opened in 1932. Hubert Magnan, the son of the original owners, Marie-Ange and Armand Magnan, is credited with working tirelessly with his chef to cook up the best roast beef in town, which is listed on the menu in a series of slabs ranging from the six-ounce No. 1 to the 20-ounce No. 5. I sampled the No. 4, and relished every bite of this Alberta beef, marinated and aged for 28 days. Slow-cooked in low-temperature ovens, this marbled beef is not only flavourful, but uniformly pink from core to crust.

10. The quick fix: Montreal Pool Room hot dog

It’s rumoured that Al Capone played pool in the original St. Laurent Blvd. location of the Montreal Pool Room, and the restaurant claims it’s true. But besides famous gangsters, how many of us lined up at the Pool Room for an after-hours “steamé” or preferably two – all-dressed with onions, relish, mustard and coleslaw – alongside an order of fries served in a small paper bag? Opened in 1912, the restaurant crossed the street a year and a half ago, and

But the steamed Lesters hot dogs are still the bestsellers. Sinking your teeth into the soft, warm bun followed by the sweet and sour hit of condiments and finally the – let’s face it – pretty tasteless hot dog is one of life’s great pleasures. Sure, it’s piggy, but after a night of partying or for a quick lunch fix, nothing is quite as soothing as the Pool Room classic.

11. The one-of-a-kind: Dic Ann’s hamburger

The Dic of Dic Ann’s was Dominic Potenza and the Ann was his wife, Ann Russell. This couple arrived in Montreal from Rochester, N.Y., to open the first Dic Ann’s in 1954. Located at Crémazie Blvd. and Papineau Ave., the original location led to a second, drive-in location on Pie IX Blvd. A burger shack of sorts with the requisite roller-skating waitresses, the restaurant was operational only in warm weather at first but was then winterized, and still serves burgers today. Eventually, the restaurant franchised and expanded to 11 locations throughout the province.

So what makes this burger so special? Montreal is a city where you’ll find some pretty swell hamburgers, but the one at Dic Ann’s is completely different.

The patty is whisper-thin, and the buns are the thickness of pancakes but offer a chewy texture similar to a crumpet. Order the Hi-boy and you get a handful of fresh iceberg lettuce along with a tomato and a slice of cheese.

But the real secret to the Dic Ann’s burger is the weird sauce – think chili sauce without the beans. (I asked what was in it, and was told it’s a secret.) The burger is served with a wooden stick to lift it out of the sauce pool.

Take a bite and feel the slightly spicy sauce ooze into the crunchy lettuce and down through the meat and resilient bread. Wow, it’s good.

12. The taste of the Old Country: THE EASTERN EUROPEAN sandwich

The enticing aroma of paprika-laced sausages wafts through the air when you enter Montreal’s Eastern European delis and butcher shops, like Boucherie Slovenia and Boucherie Hongroise on the Main. By the door of the butcher/sausage makers, you’ll spot steam tables laden with cured meats, smoked meats and sausage (some spicy, some mild), as well as schnitzel made with both chicken and pork. The classic sandwich is made from a crusty white Portuguese roll filled with mustard, sliced meat or Hungarian sausage and a good dollop of sauerkraut.

Though widespread in countries like Germany, Croatia, Hungary and Romania, these steamed sandwich stands remain as symbols of the once-strong Eastern European presence on the Main before the onslaught of nightclubs, bars, trendy restaurants and hairdressers.

What’s on your list?

To comment on this story and share what iconic dishes would be on your list of must-haves, find this story on our website, montrealgazette.com/life

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